The High Court of Islamabad suspended the convictions of 10 people convicted in the context of demonstrations which broke out on May 10, 2023, following the arrest of the former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
A division bench including judge Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and judge Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan ruled in favor of the suspension of sentences, granting a deposit to the convicted people during the bond submission worth 25,000 rupees each, reported Express News.
In November 2024, an anti-terrorism court sentenced the sentenced to five years and ten months in prison combined for their alleged role in the attack on the police personnel and the implementation of a checkpoint during the interchange from Faizabad from Islamabad.
The High Court, in its written order, noted that cases of the cases were not established that the convicts had been arrested on the protest site.
Defense lawyers argued that the Court of First Instance had already acquitted the accusation of terrorism and rather condemned them for less offenses.
“The accused were not captured at crime scene, but they were sentenced,” the court observed.
However, the accusation argued that the Court of First Instance had sentenced the convicts on the basis of forensic evidence and video surveillance.
The accusation also opposed suspensions, arguing that the guilt verdict was supported by available evidence.
The accusation of accusation revealed that five of the 10 convicted people were Afghan nationals. The court ordered the accused of submitting original identity documents to the assistant registrar for verification.
“In the event of Afghan citizenship, the assistant registrar keeps the documents,” said the court.
The convicts were responsible for appearing in court for all future hearings when the call process continues.
